I just got back from an amazing girls weekend in Vermont last night (will write more on that later).  But first, it’s Monday Journal time and I just wanted to share a page I finished today (my last day before having to head back to work tomorrow)  I did a little tissue paper technique to add some texture and colour to this one.  When I was working on some Easter eggs a couple weeks ago I had pieces of tissue paper lying around, so not wanting anything to go to waste, I stuck them immediately into my art journal.  I always try to keep it around when I am working on other projects to add any leftover pieces or paint to it.

So when I was ready to get my art on, I already had a page started which gave me a jumping off point with the colours.  I added some pretty flowers and pink doilies to it.  I also applied an awesome number stencil with black paint I had purchased at Scrapbook Centrale when I was there for Donna’s class.

 I have been thinking about family and how I grew up lately.  Things weren’t always perfect as I am sure no one else’s upbringing was either.  I feel it is always  important to “bloom where you are planted”.  Which is the theme of this layout.  I think that it is an important thing to remember in many aspects of our lives (not just with our families).

For the word “bloom” I used some fairly big (and thick) letter stickers and covered them in glass bead gel.

I then removed them before the gel dried too much as all I wanted was the impression it left behindl.  I love that you can see the flower image and colourful tissue underneath.

Instead of throwing them out, I quickly stuck the removed letters on the flap of the insert.

For the rest of the quote I used the same letters and dirtied them up a little by rubbing some Inka-Gold in the Harmatite colour.  I also rubbed some of it on various parts of the pages. Such fun stuff!  It’s non-toxic, has no smell and is made with beeswax.  Over the tree stencil is a fairly big rub-on I found in a discount bin for a whole dollar (such a steal!)

 Have a great week everyone and don’t forget to bloom lovelies, no matter where you are planted.

This week’s journal page is a LOVE mixed media.  Since the art journal I am currently working in seems to be all the about the things that I love and with Valentines Day just around the corner, I thought I would do a page about my hunnie and I.

I started by flipping through magazines looking for a picture of a couple.  I found one that looked nothing like us but seemed fun and funky so I cut it out.  I then took Nevr Dull, which is actually a chrome polisher and applied it to the picture to take it down a bit.  It acts almost like you are sanding it as the chemical in it removes some of the colour.  It is a technique I learned from Jeanne Oliver which I was happy to discover since I had used shoe polish to try and do something similar in the past, haha.  You can see where it has started to turn white a bit.

I stuck the picture down on one side and a red paper doily on the other and covered the entire thing with a bit of a white wash as I still wanted to see the pages behind them a bit.  I then pulled out my Bombay India Inks…

and with the applicator, right to the paper I created the green stems and some round red poppies.  They were inspired by one of Donna Downey’s Inpiration Wednesdays.I took black to the centres to finish them off.

 It is called “All you need is LOVE”.  That statement (and lovely song by the beetles) has slowly been ringing truer and truer for me over the last few years.

Here it is with the little insert flipped over.  I of course had to add a couple hearts to it as well.

More poppies perhaps???

Merry Christmas everyone!!  I hope you are enjoying the holidays and were spoiled as much as I was.  I just HAD to share this amazing Phasha Journal my man gave me for my art.  I cried when I opened it.  It is the best journal I have ever seen.  He is so thoughtful and always makes sure to get something that is me.  Check this out…

So much detail and isn’t the stone in the middle an amazing touch?

The binding is pretty great as you take out the pages and refill it if you want/need to.

Even the back of it has all this intricate embossed detailing.

The inside pages are thick, textured and just waiting for me to get painting!!  Maybe I will get to over the holidays, I wish I had more time off work though.

LOVE it!!  I think this was my favourite gift.  Although I did get quite a few amazing things.  He even got me an external hard drive for me to save all of my pictures, posts and art stuff on.  One of my new year’s resolutions is to back everything up.  Just a reminder to all of you out there to start the new year off right and back-up all of those treasures you have sitting on your laptops/computers/devices.  You never know when one will crash or get stolen.  Both of which have happened to close friends and it made me realize how devastating that would be.

For today’s Sunday Journal I thought I should do the inside cover as I seem to be jumping all over the place within it.  My art journal is quickly becoming about all the things I love, so I thought it was time to do a page about ART.  I also thought it was about time to use my gorgeous hand rolled Unison pastels I had ordered from Dick Blick.  Aren’t they awesome?  I love the colours, love the labels and love how easy they blend.

I then gathered up every single circular type stamp I could find.  I was in the mood for circles, why, I am not quite sure.  Maybe because they have no end and I am overflowing with inspiration and ideas, feeling hopeful about following my bliss.  I applied them using Staz On ink as it isn’t water soluble and there would be no issues with sealing in the pastels later.  I then took all my different coloured pastels and randomly filled in a bit of the circles and just rubbed them in with my finger.  Bit of a dirty process but fun.  I also punched out a few circles with a vibrant flower patterned paper that was a freebie from Somerset Studios magazine.

I didn’t have a letter “A” chip board to spell “ART” for my title, so I just used an Eiffel Tower stamp.  It kind of looks like an “A” doesn’t it?  I used an Antique Bronze Distress Stain on the letters then took my black ink pad to dirty them up a little.

I am taking a class right now from Kelly Rae Roberts (which I have probably mentioned before) called Flying Lessons.  I have met an amazing group of women (on-line) through this class who are all supporting and encouraging each other to fly.  I wanted to honour this somehow as well, but I didn’t want to use the typical flying creatures such as a bird or butterfly, so I used a fly instead.  Not what I would normally gravitate towards, but I like, I like it a lot.

I hope everyone has had a productive weekend as unfortunately it is almost over :(